SIDDHA ABODES

Watching videos of Karuna's journey to Siddha destinations that he has uploaded on his YouTube Channel "Tamil Navigation" brings fond memories of my journey with Tavayogi in 2005. He has researched well and covered these sites bringing us closer to the dwellings and the lives of the ever-mysterious Siddhas. Watch at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teu_MZ_7QmA&list=PLIlrEDtjFvhnTMYdrA1Di0oONj-2kJCVe&index=1

When we were at these sites, Tavayogi would immediately sit and go into meditation. To us, he would suggest that we recite the names of the Siddhas if we were not used to meditation. There was no ritual of any kind. He only performed the rituals at his ashram/temple grounds and at our homes upon requests. He told us from the very beginning to come out of Bakti Margam into Gnana Margam. When he went ahead to build a temple for Agathiyar I asked him the need then. He replied that it was not in his interest but for the public. Agathiyar came and told us recently that he moved Tavayogi to build the ashram/temple complex in the new site.

A samadhi is opposed to that of a temple. At a temple, initially, we need a medium to absorb the energy that prevails around us. Through specific and continuous chanting, puja, libation, yagam, and other rituals, etc the divine energy that builds in us is transferred to the elements for save keeping via these murtis or idols. Soon the statue gains power, energy, or Sakti with regular rituals and worship by devotees. The mineral or metal from which the statue is made reverberates with this energy giving it back to us and the surroundings. We receive it by just being there, through the prasad or participating in its rituals. The mineral kingdom is raised in stature to that of divinity. But the rituals and worship need to be done to keep it energized.

When Suren sat before Agathiyar asking about the Siddha samadhis, Agathiyar pointed out several in Malaysia. He also told us how to behave in these holy places. Agathiyar strictly told us to refrain from performing any rituals at their samadhis. He explained the reason he forbade us from doing so, with a question. "Who are you to give them (the Siddhas in these samadhis) power or Sakti through your rituals? As it is, they are the embodiment of and personification of Erai or the divine energy." Period. At a samadhi, all we need to do is to sit and tap into the prevalent energy and take it within. The saints had already energized their mortal frames while alive. There is no need to perform rituals further. But as Agathiyar says, "Let it be" in many matters of the world, these lessons are only for us and not the masses for no two men are the same. One would accept; another would dispute. We are not here to change others but to change ourselves. Agathiyar has strictly told us not to dispute matters, argue, or debate. It shall affect our Tavam. Agathiyar has asked that we refrain from getting angry. Again it will affect our Tavam. Agathiyar has been reminding me of the dangers of anger, giving me a one hour pep talk or rather a stern warning but laced in compassionate words, the first time through the Nadi and again recently. Agathiyar says in anger, the powers or Sakti that we had tried hard to accumulate within through our tapas in the higher chakras or energy centers descend to the lower ones losing their powers. Ramalinga Adigal says that in anger the body transforms akin to a kiln. It destroys us. Our lifespan shortens. சினம் உள்வேக்காடு. இது தேகத்தை சீக்கிரம் நஷ்டஞ் செய்யும். ஆயுளை நஷ்டஞ் செய்யும்.

கோபத்தால்நம்முள் உருவாகும் அசுத்தஅக உஷ்ணமானதுநம்

தேகக்கருவிகளை நட்டம்அடையச் செய்கின்றது ஆகையினால்

விருப்புவெறுப்புகளுக்கு இடைநின்று ஆன்மநேயஉணர்வுமிகும்

உருக்கத்தோடு ஞானதவிருத்திசெய்து கோபத்தை வெல்கவே. - வள்ளலார்

The harmful heat developed in us due to anger could destroy our psycho-motor instruments. We can conquer our anger, by simultaneously staying focused on neither attachment nor detachment, and cultivating awareness with the soul concerned compassionate feeling.” - Vallalar (Source: http://www.vallalarspace.org/)

A simple example would be an egg frying in a pan. This is the brain during anger we are told. Dr. Christine Bradstreet in her blog at https://medium.com/change-your-mind/anger-is-killing-your-brain-cells-dde1abcbe2e explains the dangers.

Anger triggers a release of cortisol, and one of the results of cortisol is an increase in the uptake of calcium ions through the cell membranes of your neurons (aka brain cells). This increased uptake of calcium ions causes your nerve cells to fire too frequently and can lead to their deaths.

She adds that too much cortisol can decrease serotonin, the hormone that makes us happy. 

It was rather humorous to others, especially my family but absolutely unamusing to me when Agathiyar tested me if I would get angry immediately after being told to keep my cool. In the beginning, I was a cool guy. The apple of the eye. Relatives used to envy me when I kept my cool under all circumstances and abided by their bidding. I began to speak my mind after I read a book during my college days, that taught me to say no. I do not remember exactly when I started to become angry over situations, things, people, and so forth. But then I became an angry man. I was surprised that Agathiyar mentioned about my anger and how it would destroy all the benefits derived from the tapas that I had put in, in one of my Nadi readings. Only later did my mother casually tell me that that was her daily prayer too - that I should drop my anger. Agathiyar listened to my mother pray that I should shed my anger and decided to reprehend and remind me of the adversities of anger in his regular Nadi revelation sessions! Immediately after the reading, he put me to test. 

It was a Sunday. It was 12 noon. The streets were empty except for a few cars parked in the parking bays. I being a law-abiding citizen, parked my car in a parking lot and left with my family to have my Nadi reading. When I returned to the car after an hour of lecture by Agathiyar on anger management in the Nadi reading, I was confronted with a situation where someone had parked his car alongside mine! It did not make sense to me. Why would someone park his car alongside mine when there were numerous empty parking lots. This angered me. I honked my car horn but no one came to move the car. It made me even angrier. I tried to open the doors but they were locked. I took a look into the car and realized the hand brake was up. My family members were laughing away, having a field day at my expense. My daughters and wife looked towards the sky as if looking to see if there were CCTV's fitted and if the Siddhas were watching. I started to shove and pushed the car. It began to move! I pushed it just far enough for me to come out of my parking lot. We drove over to the other end of the street to have our lunch. Having parked the car, as we took a stroll on the walkway to the restaurant, we passed by a local TV anchor and Radio newsreader whom we recognized. He turned around and caught up with us. He pointed to both my wife and my daughters and began to compare the size of the pottu or bindi on their foreheads. He ridiculed my children for having such tiny pottu and said they should follow the mother. He implied that they did not follow our culture. I was taken aback by his sudden action and words. I became irritated and lost my cool. I replied that it was their wish and that if indeed he was concerned about upholding the Indian culture he should be in vesti or dhoti and not in long pants. He scurried away leaving the scene for fear of being barraged with more angry words. If someone were to talk to me about upholding the culture now, I would ask him if his wife would perform the "Sati" if he was to pass away. This was a practice in which a widow sacrifices herself voluntarily, initially, but became a forced practice later, pushed by relatives, to jump into her deceased husband's funeral pyre. Legislation by the British put a stop to it.

Imagine the above incident happened just moments after the annoying incident at the car park. I had lost the battle. I failed to be composed and cool. I have to keep reminding myself that anger damages the brain, body, and our life.